Virus of the Mind: Critical Theory + Postmodernism
On this episode of Liberty Curious, Kate Wand invites Bruce Pardy to discuss the origins of the Woke virus of the mind: critical theory, social justice, postmodernism and critical race theory.
You can get the audio version on Apple Podcasts or Amazon, and all our podcasts at aier.org/podcasts. Or start with this sharable excerpt on YouTube asking, “Why Did the West Go Woke?”
Bruce explains identity politics, power relationships, victimhood, and all the pillars of Critical Theory, a school of thought that has infiltrated our culture, institutions and society.
We explore how this has all developed, touch on topics like the ‘death of God’, trans-humanism, morality, intersectionality, and how woke culture is, at its core, an attack on Western civilization.
Bruce Pardy is a professor of law and executive director of Rights Probe, a law and liberty think tank. He is a classically liberal legal academic who believes in equal treatment under the law, negative rights, private property, limited government, and the separation of powers, which are foundational to the Western legal tradition. He is a critic of legal progressivism, social justice, and the discretionary managerial state, and has written extensively on a range of pressing legal subjects that are at the forefront of the culture war inside the law.
“Modern Western civilization grew out of the Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries. The ascendancy of reason in human affairs produced the scientific method and later the Industrial Revolution. Add in the rule of law, individual liberty, private property, and capitalism, and you have the basic recipe that has raised much of humanity out of poverty and oppression over two centuries.
Four academic doctrines—Critical Theory, Postmodernism, Social Justice, and Critical Race Theory—are moving the world, or at least the West, from this triumph to decline. These doctrines reject Enlightenment values such as open inquiry, individual autonomy, free speech, scientific skepticism, and even reason itself. They claim to champion equality, peace, and social cooperation, but instead promote identity politics, elitism, and centralized control. They are the four doctrines of the apocalypse.” – Bruce Pardy.
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*** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***
Kate Wand
Kate Wand is a content creator. Her focus is social commentary and filmmaking. She is the host of AIER’s Liberty Curious podcast.
You can follow her on Twitter @katewand.
